Featured student: Stephen Hybarger

Stephen HybargerWhat is your name:

Stephen Hybarger

Where are you from originally?:

I’m born and raised in Jacksonville. I spent a lot of my life thinking I wanted to be a pro Baseball player and as a pitcher with 11 different pitches. I believed I could do it until I found photography through a friend in California who taught me the basics over Facebook.

A few years later I was tasked with making a video in Professor Boese’s class. I ended up making a dance documentary and after I posted it online I had people from all over come to me telling me I inspired them, since then I’ve continued shooting with the desire to inspire everyone around me as much as I can and that is how I came up with InspiredCinematics.

Why are you pursuing a degree in Digital Media:

I already do work in the Digital media field through photography and videography, I feel like getting a degree in Digital Media will allow me to further my skills in these fields as well as graphic design.

Who inspires you the most and why?

I’m most Inspired by John Morley who taught me photography when I started, Eric Thomas who is a motivational speaker and I’ve learned a lot about motivation through his words, and lastly Eric Main. He is an actor I know personally that pushes me to improve myself and reminds me just about everyday that no matter how rough things get to never give up.

What do you do off campus?

I do a lot of photography and videography of campus, I have had the opportunity to travel and do gymnastic photography with a company as well as shoot music videos for a company in downtown along with my own personal works.

What work are you most proud of?

The work I’m most proud of is a dance video I did for a friend who created an amazing choreographed dance to pay tribute to his mother that passed away.

What are some interesting facts about you:

I’m a hip-hop dancer, I drive a motorcycle, and I can sing R&B.

What is your favorite Book / Movie / Series / Video Game / Comic?

My favorite book is Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, movie is Inception, series is The Walking Dead, video game is a toss up between Call of Duty and the Need for Speed series, and comic is Superman.

What are your future goals and aspirations?

I would like to inspire and positively impact as many people through my work as I can. I would also like to own and run my own production studio shooting films and doing photography.

One thing you wish you could share with others…

No matter what your dream may be follow it and take every opportunity that comes your way because life is too short not to enjoy every second of it. I know when I look back over my life I don’t want any regrets and I hope you won’t have any either!

You can find samples of Stephen’s work on his portfolio:

InspiredCinematics

 

Our featured students are nominated by their classmates. Have someone you’d like to nominate? Please contact Professor Liz Murphy Thomas at Liz.Thomas@fscj.edu